April 28, 2011

Program April 29, 2011

WRIR's Spring '11 Fund Drive gets underway on Friday at 5:00 PM.  As usual, the Global A Go-Go program has the honor of kicking off the fund drive, and I'm excited that the band BALKANIZE! will perform in WRIR's Live Room beginning at about 5:30 PM.

BALKANIZE! is the only band that I know of in the Richmond region specializing in old-world Turko-Balkan folk music.  They play songs and tunes from Romania, Bulgaria, all parts of the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and the entire region.  If you haven't heard them yet, you're in for a treat -- they really cook.  And if you like what you hear, they're playing next Friday at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as well (see the flyer above).  You can find out more about BALKANIZE! here:

http://www.balkanize.net

I'll have some special premiums that folks can win if they donate during my show.  Click "Read More" to find out about them, and to read some thoughts about why you should donate to WRIR.  Also click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/51389

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


April 24, 2011

Charts April 24, 2011

CMJ New World Top Ten
1    VARIOUS ARTISTS | Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical 4 | Vampisoul
2    BOMBINO | Agadez | Cumbancha
3    FEMI KUTI | Africa For Africa | Knitting Factory
4    GEOFF BERNER | Victory Party | Mint
5    RATTLEMOUTH | 5 | self-released
6    EBO TAYLOR | Life Stories | Strut
7    CLUB D'ELF | Electric Moroccoland/So Below | Face Pelt
8    SWAY MACHINERY | The House Of Friendly Ghosts, Vol. 1 | JDub
9    LOS CHICHARRONS | Roots Of Life | Tummy Touch
10    CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO | Rio Arriba | ZZK

CMJ New World Adds
1    AZAM ALI | From The Night To The Edge Of Day | Six Degrees
2    BOMBA ESTEREO | Ponte Bomb | Nacional
3    BONES AND TONES | Bones And Tones | Freedom Art
4    MR. PAUER | Soundtrack | Fabrika Music
5    VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Paris Lounge | World Music Network

New & Recommended At WRIR
Abreu, Alexander Y Havana D'Primera | Haciendo Historia | Ahi-Nama
Aweke, Aster | Checheho | Kabu
Berner, Geoff | Victory Party | Mint
Bombino | Agadez | Cumbancha
Cherga, La | Revolve | Asphalt Tango
Chicharrons, Los | Roots Of Life | Tummy Touch
Club d'Elf | Electric Moroccoland / So Below | Face Pelt
Dengue Fever | Cannibal Courtship | Concord
Diabate, Mamadou | Courage | World Village
Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound Of Latin New York | (various artists) | Strut
Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical 4 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hawk And A Hacksaw, A | Cerventine | LM Dupli-cation
Kuti, Femi | Africa For Africa | Knitting Factory Records
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo | Cotonou Club | Strut
Rattlemouth | 5 | self-released
Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque | (various artists) | Strut
Sway Machinery, The | The House Of Friendly Ghosts, Volume 1 | JDub
Taylor, Ebo | Life Stories | Strut

April 21, 2011

Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical, Volume 4

ARTIST:  various artists
TITLE:  Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical, Volume 4
LABEL:  Vampisoul
REVIEW:  Vampisoul’s Gozalo! series is a real treat -- few of us had any idea how much top quality Afro-Cuban music was produced in Peru in the 60’s and 70’s.  It’s a natural complement to The Roots Of Chicha compilations on Barbes, which focus on cumbia-based material that’s heavily influenced by Colombia and Mexico.  In contrast, the emphasis in all four volumes of Gozalo! is on the popular Cuban-derived styles like mambo, guaracha, son montuno, descarga, charanga and of course boogaloo.  As with the previous three volumes, there are more worthwhile tracks here than I can recommend; of special note are a couple of great novelty songs (5 and 21), one stray chicha number that slipped in here (6), and an absolutely killer version of Hector Lavoe’s “Aguanile” (26).  These bands really are just as good as the ones in Havana or New York City at the same time; we just never got to hear them back then.  Kudos to Vampisoul and the compilers, and here’s to hoping they have enough material for another four volumes.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    5    6    14    20    21    26
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    Most of the rest of them

Program April 22, 2011

Femi Kuti and Positive Force are making a rare visit to our region -- they're playing on Saturday night at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC.  (That's Femi above, from his performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009, captured by Timothy Norris for LA Weekly.)  Femi's outstanding new record is called Africa For Africa, and I'll play a track from it this week by request.

I'll be playing a bunch of new favorites this week -- Geoff Berner, Ebo Taylor, Los Chicharrons, Bombino and Club d'Elf -- plus plenty of oldies as well.  By the way, globalagogo.com features reviews of these releases, and many others to boot:

Femi Kuti:  http://www.globalagogo.com/2011/04/femi-kuti-africa-for-africa.html
Geoff Berner:  http://www.globalagogo.com/2011/04/geoff-berner-victory-party.html
Ebo Taylor:  http://www.globalagogo.com/2011/04/ebo-taylor-life-stories.html
Los Chicharrons:  http://www.globalagogo.com/2011/03/los-chicharrons-roots-of-life.html
Bombino:  http://www.globalagogo.com/2011/04/bombino-agadez.html
Club d'Elf:  http://www.globalagogo.com/2011/03/club-delf-electric-moroccoland.html
All my reviews:  http://www.globalagogo.com/search/label/Reviews

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/51240

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


April 17, 2011

Charts April 17, 2011

CMJ New World Top Ten
1    VARIOUS ARTISTS | Fania Records 1964-80: The Original Sound Of Latin New York | Strut
2    FEMI KUTI | Africa For Africa | Knitting Factory
3    ALEXANDER ABREU Y HAVANA D'PRIMERA | Haciendo Historia | Ahi-Nama
4    GEOFF BERNER | Victory Party | Mint
5    VARIOUS ARTISTS | Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque | Strut
6    DENGUE FEVER | Cannibal Courtship | Concord
7    ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO | Cotonou Club | Strut
8    EBO TAYLOR | Life Stories | Strut
9    A HAWK AND A HACKSAW | Cervantine | LM Dupli-Cation
10    SWAY MACHINERY | The House Of Friendly Ghosts, Vol. 1 | JDub

CMJ New World Adds
1    LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES | Not So Commercial | Nacional
2    LES CHAUDS LAPINS | Amourettes | Barbes
3    AMJAD ALI KHAN AND THE SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA | Samaagam | World Village
4    VARIOUS ARTISTS | Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical 4 | Vampisoul
5    VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Klezmer (Second Edition) | World Music Network

New & Recommended At WRIR
Abreu, Alexander Y Havana D'Primera | Haciendo Historia | Ahi-Nama
Aweke, Aster | Checheho | Kabu
Berner, Geoff | Victory Party | Mint
Bombino | Agadez | Cumbancha
Cherga, La | Revolve | Asphalt Tango
Chicharrons, Los | Roots Of Life | Tummy Touch
Club d'Elf | Electric Moroccoland / So Below | Face Pelt
Dengue Fever | Cannibal Courtship | Concord
Diabate, Mamadou | Courage | World Village
Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound Of Latin New York | (various artists) | Strut
Gainsbourg, Serge | "Comme Un Boomerang" | Mercury
Hawk And A Hacksaw, A | Cerventine | LM Dupli-cation
Kuti, Femi | Africa For Africa | Knitting Factory Records
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | "Maisha Ni Matamu" / "Zanzibar" | Virunga Music
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo | Cotonou Club | Strut
Rattlemouth | 5 | self-released
Sergent Garcia | "Yo Soy Salsamuffin" / "Ojos Inocentes" | Cumbancha
Shaolin Afronauts, The | "Journey Through Time" / "Kibo" | Freestyle
Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque | (various artists) | Strut
Sway Machinery, The | The House Of Friendly Ghosts, Volume 1 | JDub
Taylor, Ebo | Life Stories | Strut

New Arrivals Last Week
Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical 4 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hammock House: Africa Caribe | (various artists) | Fania
Khan, Amjad Ali & The Scottish National Orchestra | Samaagam | World Village
Mr. Pauer | Soundtrack | Fabrika Music
Pena | Volume 3, The Remixes | Secret Stash

April 14, 2011

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo | Cotonou Club

ARTIST:  Orchestre Poly-Rythmo
TITLE:  Cotonou Club
LABEL:  Strut
REVIEW:  Le Tout-Puissant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou (their full name) came to the attention of Western fans of African music over the last eight years through a remarkable series of reissues by the PAM, Soundway and Analog Africa labels.  Almost no one knew, however, that this legendary Beninois ensemble still existed and had a goal – to perform outside of Africa for the first time.  Not only has the band now toured the world, they went into a Paris studio and cut their first new recordings in over 20 years.  Poly-Rythmo was always an eclectic outfit, playing any and everything that listeners wanted, from salsa to Afrobeat to covers of American soul tunes – they backed up most of Benin’s best singer plus many of the international stars who came to Cotonou.  The core of their sound, however, has always come from indigenous rhythms (possibly related to ones used in voodoo ceremonies, there’s some dispute on this matter) that gives Poly-Rythmo’s funk a unique kind of asymmetry.  Like Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab and Guinea’s Bembeya Jazz before them, it’s hard to believe Poly-Rythmo can sounds this good two decades after their seminal recordings.  This band of grandfathers will kick your band’s ass – definitely one of 2011’s best.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    1    2    3    5    11
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    4    6    7    8    9    10

Dengue Fever | Cannibal Courtship

ARTIST:  Dengue Fever
TITLE:  Cannibal Courtship
LABEL:  Concord
REVIEW:  Everybody’s favorite Cambodian-American psych-rock band is back with their fifth full-length album.  It’s their first for a semi-major label and they’ve made good use of the larger budget, creating a Phil Spector-like wall of sound on many of these tracks.  All of their ongoing obsessions are still here – twangy surf music guitar, Ethiopian minor-key modes, cheesy Farfisa organ.  As time goes on, they’re getting better at integrating all these disparate elements into each song, creating more of a uniquely Dengue Fever sound.  The key ingredient here is singer Chhom Nimol – to be a great rock band you simply must have a charismatic front person, and Nimol has more stage presence in her pinky, whether she’s singing in English or Khmer, than most every lead singer has in total.  For my money, this is the best rock band in America right now, which begs two questions:
  • In a nation that is becoming so much more multi-cultural, why is rock music so slow to get in on the action?, and
  • Why don’t more rock bands rock as hard as Dengue Fever?
An excellent record that will be on many people’s best-of lists from a band that could easily achieve superstardom in the foreseeable future.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    2    3    4    9    10
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    5    6    7    8    11

Alexander Abreu Y Havana D'Primera | Haciendo Historia

ARTIST:  Alexander Abreu Y Havana D’Primera
TITLE:  Haciendo Historia
LABEL:  Ahi-Nama
REVIEW:  The highly complex yet rhythmically propulsive style called timba dominated the Cuban popular music scene in the 1990’s.  Like similarly complex Congolese ndombolo and Senegalese mbalax, timba has been beloved at home but never traveled well at all.  More recently American-influenced reggaeton and hip hop have eclipsed timba’s popularity in Cuba, but here’s a fine record that harkens back to the glory days of bands like Los Van Van, NG La Banda and La Charanga Habanera.  Abreu excels here in all of his hats -- he’s the primary composer, arranger, lead singer and lead soloist on trumpet.  Timba is ensemble music, however, so the true star here is the 11-piece band – they whip through these ultra-tricky charts like the best jazz musicians without ever forgetting that, at least by the end of each song, you’ve got to make it work for the dancers.  This is dance music at its most sophisticated, like what jazz would have evolved into if it hadn’t turned into sit-down-and-listen music.  Excellent stuff.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    3    4    5    9    10
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    1    2    7    8    11

April 13, 2011

Program April 15, 2011

The new releases keep on comin' this week on Global A Go-Go.  From the new Dengue Fever (pictured above) album Cannibal Courtship you'll hear what may be my favorite song of the year.  I also have the long-awaited Cotonou Club by Benin's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, a terrific Cuban release by Alexander Abreu Y Havana D'Primera, and a couple of tracks from Strut's latest Fania Records reissue project.  Plus plenty of old music to complement the new releases -- some 1970's West African classics, a set of boogaloo from the 60's, and Cuban timba hits of the 1990's.

By the way, most of the new discs I've played in the last few weeks will be available as premiums in WRIR's upcoming Spring '11 Fund Drive, which kicks off on this program in two weeks' time with a live in-studio performance by the great Richmond Balkan-music band BALKANIZE!

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/51063 

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


April 10, 2011

Charts April 10, 2011

CMJ New World Top Ten
1    FEMI KUTI | Africa For Africa | Knitting Factory
2    GEOFF BERNER | Victory Party | Mint
3    EBO TAYLOR | Life Stories | Strut
4    BOMBINO | Agadez | Cumbancha
5    VARIOUS ARTISTS | Fania Records 1964-80: The Original Sound Of Latin New York | Strut
6    LA CHERGA | Revolve | Asphalt Tango
7    CLUB D'ELF | Electric Moroccoland / So Below | Face Pelt
8    SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS | "Journey Through Time" / "Kibo" [Single] | Freestyle
9    SWAY MACHINERY | The House Of Friendly Ghosts, Vol. 1 | JDub
10    LOS CHICHARRONS | Roots Of Life | Tummy Touch

CMJ New World Adds
1    ALEXANDER ABREU Y HAVANA D'PRIMERA | Haciendo Historia | Ahi-Nama
2    CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO | Rio Arriba | ZZK
3    DENGUE FEVER | Cannibal Courtship | Concord
4    ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO | Cotonou Club | Strut
5    MALIKA ZARRA | Berber Taxi | Motema Music

New & Recomended At WRIR
Aweke, Aster | Checheho | Kabu
Berner, Geoff | Victory Party | Mint
Bombino | Agadez | Cumbancha
Cantuaria, Vinicius & Bill Frisell | Lagrimas Mexicanas | eOne Music
Cherga, La | Revolve | Asphalt Tango
Chicharrons, Los | Roots Of Life | Tummy Touch
Club d'Elf | Electric Moroccoland / So Below | Face Pelt
Diabate, Mamadou | Courage | World Village
Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound Of Latin New York | (various artists) | Strut
Gainsbourg, Serge | "Comme Un Boomerang" | Mercury
Hawk And A Hacksaw, A | Cerventine | LM Dupli-cation
Ho, Fred And The Green Monster Big Band | Year Of The Tiger | Innova
Kuti, Femi | Africa For Africa | Knitting Factory Records
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | "Maisha Ni Matamu" / "Zanzibar" | Virunga Music
Rattlemouth | 5 | self-released
Sergent Garcia | "Yo Soy Salsamuffin" / "Ojos Inocentes" | Cumbancha
Shaolin Afronauts, The | "Journey Through Time" / "Kibo" | Freestyle
Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque | (various artists) | Strut
Sway Machinery, The | The House Of Friendly Ghosts, Volume 1 | JDub
Taylor, Ebo | Life Stories | Strut

New Arrivals Last Week
Dengue Fever | Cannibal Courtship | Concord
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo | Cotonou Club | Strut
Rumba, Mambo, Cha-Cha-Cha | (various artists) | Putumayo
Sabbapath | Sabbapath | JDub

Geoff Berner | Victory Party

ARTIST:  Geoff Berner
TITLE:  Victory Party
LABEL:  Mint
REVIEW:  Geoff Berner is a Vancouver-based singer-songwriter-accordionist who started out in a punk-rock band, writes a lot of political material, and has been very interested in klezmer music for the last several years.  On this new album (his sixth as a solo artist) he’s found the precise midpoint between Billy Bragg and Gogol Bordello.  With production help from Josh (Socalled) Dolgin, the band rocks like crazy.  Berner’s lyrics are erudite, voluminous, occasionally off-color, and purposefully angry; his singing has an offhanded brilliance that brings Joe Strummer immediately to mind.  With comps like those, he has to be good, and he is – this is certain to be on my best of 2011 shortlist and is recommended to punks, folkies (that don’t mind a little noise), world music fans (ditto) and everyone who thrills when authority gets tweaked.  Bravo!
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    1    3    6    8    9
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    5    7

Bombino | Agadez

ARTIST:  Bombino
TITLE:  Agadez
LABEL:  Cumbancha Discovery
REVIEW:  Goumour Almoctar, aka Bombino, is a 30-year-old guitarist from Niger who is staking a leadership claim in the next generation of Imazighen (Toureg) desert blues musicians.  Like Tinariwen, the legendary Malian band, Bombino’s music evokes American blues with a decided North African modality, and his guitar playing will put you in mind of the great six-string wizards of Mississippi, Chicago and London.  On this record, Bombino is more a singer-songwriter than a rocker – most of the material is pretty quiet, and the core band is simply two guitars (frequently acoustic) plus drums.  But for my money, the best track here is the 9-minute-long Iyat Idounia Ayasahen (track 7) with its stem-winding guitar solo.  Even the mellow material has an intensity that’s rarely heard in Western pop music – I guess that shouldn’t be surprising coming from a man whose adulthood has overlapped with the Toureg civil war and two of whose bandmates were executed by the Niger army in 2007.  A fine studio debut, and I’m hoping for many more from Bombino.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    2    3    7
ALSO RECOMMENDED:   4    6    9

La Cherga | Revolve

ARTIST:  La Cherga
TITLE:  Revolve
LABEL:  Asphalt Tango
REVIEW:  Here’s the sophomore effort from La Cherga, the Austria-based band whose debut was a surprise favorite of 2008.  Croatian bandleader-producer Nevenko Bucan comes out of the fertile Austrian electronic dance music scene, and he’s interested in fusing electronica with a live band.  Naturally Balkan beats are a big part of La Cherga’s sound, but they’re equally influenced by Jamaican reggae and dub (their touring band features a Jamaican rhythm section).  The combination of those two contrasting styles is very similar to Balkan Beat Box’s sound.  Like BBB, there’s some hip hop in the mix as well, but new singer Adisa Zvekic from Bosnia is definitely more soul than rap -- interestingly she mainly sings in English here.  There are terrific cameos by Serbian toaster MC Killo Killo on track 5 and accordionist Sandy Lopicic on 10.  Good record, good ideas, lots of promise here.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    5    10
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    1    2

Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound Of Latin New York

ARTIST:  various artists
TITLE:  Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound Of Latin New York
LABEL:  Fania/Strut
REVIEW:  Here’s the second installment in Strut’s Fania Records compilation series, and it’s a beauty.  Fania is the New York-based label that pioneered the urban Latin sound we now simply call “salsa.”  Fania’s massive catalog holds so many great recordings by classic artists (and quite a bit of dreck as well) that it’s virtually impossible to create a representative sampler, but this is a darned good effort.  Of course, the stars are here – Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Hector Lavoe, Ruben Blades.  But the compilers have left plenty of room for artists like Joe Bataan, Bobby Valentin, Ismael Miranda and Justo Betancourt who, while well-known to salsa aficionados are pretty much unknown outside that small world.  If you like salsa, there are 29 choice tracks here and you really can’t go wrong with any of them.  And if you don’t know your salsa, here’s hoping that Strut helps makes this music that was created right here in the USA (and right under the noses of people like me who grew up in New York in the 1970’s) as exotically hip as Afrobeat.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    1-4    1-5    1-9    1-11    1-14    2-1    2-5    2-7
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    Just about all the rest of them

Femi Kuti | Africa For Africa

ARTIST:  Femi Kuti
TITLE:  Africa For Africa
LABEL:  Knitting Factory
REVIEW:  48-year-old singer-songwriter-bandleader-saxophonist Femi Kuti is Fela’s eldest son.  He joined his father’s band as a teenager and founded his own band, Positive Force, in 1985.  While his earlier recordings season their Afrobeat with club beats, he’s gone for a back-to-basics approach on his last two albums, and to excellent effect.  This time he’s taken Positive Force all the way back to Lagos’ Decca Studios, where many of Fela’s greatest sessions were cut.  The band, always energetic, sounds especially aggressive this time – if there’s a punk-Afrobeat band, Positive Force is it.  In keeping with the environs, Femi’s lyrics are especially cutting and political, taking on the many of the same Nigerian institutions that plagued his father (and still haven’t been reformed).  This is Afrobeat for a rock audience – fast tempos, short songs (at least by Afrobeat standards), lots of energy, no remixes, everything sounds like a first take.  It’s a helluva good record.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    1    5    10    11
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    2    3    4    7    8    12    13

Ebo Taylor | Life Stories

ARTIST:  Ebo Taylor
TITLE:  Life Stories: Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980
LABEL:  Strut
REVIEW:  Ebo Taylor is one of the greatest musicians of independence-era West Africa.  He studied jazz in London in the 1960’s with Fela Kuti and thereafter spent his entire career in Ghana as a guitarist, bandleader, composer, arranger and producer.  He’s still working and put out a fine new album last year on Strut.  He came to the attention of a new generation through his inclusion on Soundway Records’ Ghana Soundz compilations (disc 1, tracks 1 and 2 are the songs from those comps).  Taylor is frequently called an Afrobeat musician, but his style is lighter and jazzier than Fela’s Africa 70, and the sound of classic Ghanaian highlife echoes in his music as well.  Believe it or not, none of Taylor’s classic recordings have been released in Europe or Africa except on multi-artist compilations, so this 2-disc retrospective is both long overdue and a real eye-opener for African music fans.  Strut has done a great service to Taylor and to listeners -- this album is a must-have for lovers of West African music and will be a strong contender for best reissue of 2011.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
TOP TRACKS:    1-1    1-2    1-3    1-6    1-8    2-4    2-6
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    All the rest of them

April 7, 2011

Program April 8, 2011

I think Record Store Day (this year, it's on Saturday April 16) is the new Christmas -- all the best new releases are timed to have maximum holiday impact.

As a result, you'll be hearing plenty of brand-new music this week on Global A Go-Go: Balkan-meets-dub from La Cherga, Geoff Berner's klezmer-folk-protest songs (sounds unlikely, but they're absolutely brilliant), desert blues by Bombino and Femi Kuti's afrobeat.  Plus another great project from the folks at Strut -- the pioneering Afrofunk recordings of Ebo Taylor, most of which have never previously been released outside of Ghana.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/50859

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


April 3, 2011

Charts April 3, 2011

CMJ New World Top Ten
1 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO | "Pardon" / "Lion Is Burning" | Strut
2 CLUB D'ELF | Electric Moroccoland / So Below | Face Pelt
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque | Strut
4 LOS CHICHARRONS | Roots Of Life | Tummy Touch
5 DENGUE FEVER | "Cement Slippers" | Concord
6 SERGE GAINSBOURG | "Comme Un Boomerang" | Mercury
7 VINICIUS CANTUARIA AND BILL FRISELL | Lagrimas Mexicanas | eOne Music
8 GEOFF BERNER | Victory Party | Mint
9 MR. HO'S ORCHESTROTICA | The Unforgettable Sounds Of Esquivel | self-released
10 CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO | Rio Arriba | ZZK

CMJ New World Adds
1 BOMBINO | Agadez | Cumbancha
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound Of Latin New York | Strut
3 FEMI KUTI | Africa For Africa | Knitting Factory
4 LA CHERGA | Revolve | Asphalt Tango
5 EBO TAYLOR | Life Stories | Strut

New & Recommended At WRIR
Aurelio | Laru Beya | Sub Pop/Next Ambiance
Aweke, Aster | Checheho | Kabu
Cantuaria, Vinicius & Bill Frisell | Lagrimas Mexicanas | eOne Music
Chicharrons, Los | Roots Of Life | Tummy Touch
Club d'Elf | Electric Moroccoland / So Below | Face Pelt
Dengue Fever | "Cement Slippers" | Concord
Diabate, Mamadou | Courage | World Village
Free Africa | (various artists) | Le Son Du Maquis
G.R.A.S.S. | G.R.A.S.S. On Fire | Mighty Gowanus
Gainsbourg, Serge | "Comme Un Boomerang" | Mercury
Hawk And A Hacksaw, A | Cerventine | LM Dupli-cation
Ho, Fred And The Green Monster Big Band | Year Of The Tiger | Innova
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | "Maisha Ni Matamu" / "Zanzibar" | Virunga Music
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo | "Pardon" / "Lion Is Burning" | Strut
Rattlemouth | 5 | self-released
Sergent Garcia | "Yo Soy Salsamuffin" / "Ojos Inocentes" | Cumbancha
Shaolin Afronauts, The | "Journey Through Time" / "Kibo" | Freestyle
Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque | (various artists) | Strut
Sway Machinery, The | The House Of Friendly Ghosts, Volume 1 | JDub

New Arrivals In The Last Two Weeks
Abreu, Alexander Y Havana D'Primera | Haciendo Historia | Ahi-Nama
Ali, Azam | From Night To The Edge Of Day | Six Degrees
Amherd, Eliane | Now And From Now On | self-released
Bombino | Agadez | Cumbancha
Chauds Lapins, Les | Amourettes | Barbes
Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound Of Latin New York | (various artists) | Strut
Garcia, Diego | Laura | Nacional
Hello Seahorse! | Lejos. No Tan Lejos | Nacional
Hurlements D'Leo, Les | "Ticket Pour Le Chaos" | Ladilafe
Klezmer (Second Edition), The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Kuti, Femi | Africa For Africa | Knitting Factory Records
La Cherga | Revolve | Asphalt Tango
Paris Lounge, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Taylor, Ebo | Life Stories | Strut
Zarra, Malika | Berber Taxi | Motema Music

April 1, 2011

Program April 1, 2011

Great to be back after a week out of town.  I heard I missed something while I was away, something about the VCU basketball team perhaps?  Thanks to DJ Otto JD from The Edge of Americana for sitting in for me.

I've been enjoying a new record by Club d'Elf, aka Mike Rivard (friend of the late, great Mark Sandman of Morphine and fan of Moroccan trance music) for a couple of weeks now, and I'll finally be playing a track from it on the air.  Also cued up for you: a set of music inspired and influenced by Cabo Verde, 50 years of Latin descargas, and a couple of West African classics surrounding what may be a new classic.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/50676

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go